Chapter 224 - Leon vs. Long Tian (2/2)

The greatsword unexpectedly overcame Long Tian's technique, striking the latter in the flank. The Imperial Prince was made to fly for several meters as he slammed violently several times against the combat stage floor.

At that view, all the spectators were speechless. Long Tian, ​​one of the Imperial Princes and Candidate Emperor, was hit like that. Previously, Long Tian had dominated his matches using the techniques of repulsion and attraction. The conviction was formed in the spectators' collective imagination that these two techniques couldn't be hindered except by someone on a level equal to that of the Imperial Prince.

Yet, exactly as in the previous battle, a martial artist, who was basically a nobody until the tournament began, had done something impossible: to put one of the Best Generation into trouble.

Clang! Clang!

Seeing his opponent on the ground, Leon wasted no time: he had to strike while the iron was still hot. So he ran at full speed to Long Tian with the greatsword in his hands.

”Yellow Dragon Bloodline, activate! Earth Law, Embrace of Mother Earth.”

Still lying on the ground, Long Tian raised his left hand to Leon. Then he closed his fingers, forming a fist. At that moment, Leon felt as if the air itself had become solid and was squeezing him from all sides.

Cough!

Leon spat blood from inside the armor. Despite the double protection he had, Long Tian's technique had hurt him. Luckily it was a minor injury. At the same time, the overwhelming sensation he felt was fading. His array was still active, and his spirit power was being released to counter the force that was crushing him.

'Shit. What kind of pressure can he exert?' Leon swore as he gritted his teeth. He couldn't believe the overwhelming pressure Long Tian could exert. This move was locking him in place: if it weren't for the array Lian had prepared, he wouldn't even have had a chance to move.

”Forward! Come on!” Leon said through gritted teeth. Even though he felt like he was climbing a mountain in a blizzard with every step, he was inexorably approaching Long Tian. Also, as the seconds went by, Leon's movement speed was increasing.

”Intent of the Greatsword, Diving Sky Slash!”

By taking advantage of Long Tian's motionlessness due to his technique, Leon concentrated his spirit power in his greatsword. The massive weapon vibrated intensely before releasing a blade of spirit power that spread towards Long Tian.

”Intent of the Hook Swords, Devianting Cut!”

Long Tian canceled the technique he was using. Leon felt the pressure on him drop drastically, but he still needed a few seconds to recover. Meanwhile, Long Tian raised his swords and brought them down, placing them in front of him as they intersected each other, forming an x.

The blade of spirit power smashed against the hooked swords. Then, incredibly, the blade was cut into exact halves that slid to the sides of Long Tian. Despite the power behind Leon's move, Long Tian had dissolved the threat in a seemingly simple way. Yet, it was based on an advanced application of his repulsion technique.

”Rotating Cut!”

Leon had reckoned that Long Tian could undo his technique. Certainly, he didn't expect such simplicity of execution from Long Tian, ​​but he had already prepared for the eventuality.

So, he ran to Long Tian, taking advantage of the fact that the latter was busy defending himself. This time, however, he didn't immediately attempt to hit him with his greatsword. Instead, from about five feet away, Leon began to spin around like a top. A spray of spirit power poured from his elbows to increase the spinning motion as he activated another array in the lower armor whose purpose was to stabilize his body as he moved.

In doing so, the sword's destructive power reached the peak of power that Leon could exert, superior to the technique he had used before. It was obvious that he wanted to corner Long Tian and not give him a chance to breathe.

”Intent of the Hook Swords, Earth Law, Immovable Mountain!”

As before, Long Tian crossed swords in front of him. However, instead of using his repulsion ability, he instead used a technique similar to the crushing technique used on Leon previously: this time, the target was none other than himself.

PENG!

The unstoppable force represented by the greatsword met the immovable object represented by Long Tian. The greatsword crashed into the hooked swords. It was amazing to see how such thin blades could withstand a force confrontation with that large greatsword. Yet, in Leon's eyes, those thin swords were like a mountain.

Long Tian took the full impact but didn't retreat an inch. On the contrary, even his arms remained where they were as if Leon's attack was something trifling as if it posed no danger. But this didn't correspond to reality at all.

'What a monstrous power. If it weren't for having fixed my body in the position I am in, I would have been thrown off without a doubt.' thought Long Tian with amazement drawn on his face. However, his keen eyes had allowed him to sense the danger behind that attack immediately. As a result, he spared no effort in using one of his advanced defense techniques.

”Offensive Array, Total Emission!”

Seeing his attack being blocked like this nearly caused Leon to fall into despair. His timing had been perfect, and Long Tian had no way to avoid the attack. The size of his weapon and his build should have given him the advantage in a confrontation of strength, yet Long Tian had casually blocked his every move.

Nonetheless, Leon was unwilling to give up. He deactivated the safety lock Lian had installed on the array. That way, he could generate even more power. The problem, however, was that the consumption of his spirit power would increase by several times. It was like adding oil to a candle that was already burning with great intensity. Also, the increased outflow of spirit power would strain Leon's body enormously.

'If I use Total Emission for too long, my body won't hold up. However, right now, it is my only hope for winning. Long Tian's defense is monstrous: I don't think I can break it with my other techniques.'

'Did his power increase again? It is amazing. I doubt it will continue like this for a long time, though.'

Long Tian began inexorably to be pushed back. Slowly he felt his arms tremble with the force of impact they had to bear. His technique, foolproof as it might appear, wasn't something he could use without worry.

'Even if I am the user of the technique, if I remain under the crushing effect for a long time, my body would be affected as well. But I can't undo it now. If I did, I would definitely be blown away. Not only that, the power of Leon's technique would be enough to cause me some damage, although not enough to knock me out.'

Without hesitation, Long Tian emitted more spirit power than before, without concern about the consumption. By doing so, his body became heavier, and the mountain that was being pushed back resumed its immovable state.

”Break through!” Leon yelled as he began to bleed from his ears and the corners of his mouth. His complexion had turned pale white, but no one could see him as he was inside the armor.

However, despite his best efforts, Long Tian remained there: firm and immovable.

One wanted to advance at all costs, while the other didn't want to retreat for anything in the world. Eventually, however, the challenge between the unstoppable force and the immovable object ended. The winner of this challenge turned out to be the immovable object.

”Shit,” Leon swore as he lost consciousness and fell to the ground with a thud.

As soon as he fell, Long Tian immediately deactivated the technique he was using. And after that, he let out a breath of fatigue.

'If I knew that he could produce such a power, I wouldn't have taken him head-on with so few preparations. It seems I made some miscalculations.' Long Tian thought to himself while smiling, amused.

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